Keir Starmer caved to pressure following days of criticism over gifts from wealthy donors and will no longer take cash for clothes – along with Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves
Keir Starmer will no longer accept gifts of clothes from donors after a damaging row over donations.
No10 sources confirmed that the PM, Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have all committed to refuse future gifts of this kind. It comes after fresh revelations that Ms Rayner and Ms Reeves took thousands of pounds of work clothes from wealthy donors.
The row had threatened to loom over Labour’s first party conference in power for 15 years, which kicks off in Liverpool at the weekend. But tonight No10 made an abrupt shift in stance in an attempt to defuse further damaging headlines.
The PM has been dogged by criticism for accepting thousands of pounds worth of clothes and glasses for himself and his wife Victoria from Labour donor Lord Alli. MPs are required to declare gifts within 28 days but a late declaration was made regarding outfits for Lady Starmer after No10 sought new advice.
Mr Starmer initially double down and refused to rule out accepting further such gifts. But No10 shifted its position today and said he would now refuse donations for his wardrobe. It is understood that Lady Starmer will only accept items loaned by designers going forward.
Ms Rayner has accepted four donations from Lord Alli over the past year, including £8,500 last October, £8,250 in March and £900 in April to “support me in my capacity as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party”. It is understood that this money was partly used to by work clothes for major events.
A fourth donation for £3,550 was logged in June for “undertaking parliamentary duties”, which is also understood to have included work clothing. Ms Rayner separately declared £2,230 in clothes from designer ME&EM that month.
Ms Reeves also accepted nearly £7,500 from a donor called Juliet Rosenfeld from January 2023 to May 2024, which were registered as cash “to support the Shadow Chancellor’s office”. These are believed to have been for clothes. Her team has informed that the gifts were properly declared, the Mirror understands.
It is understood that neither Ms Reeves nor Ms Rayner intend to accept further donations of this kind now they are in Government.
Earlier, Home Office Minister Jess Phillips admitted she “worries about how things look” after Mr Starmer has enjoyed thousands of pounds worth of free football tickets while slashing the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners. She said she was “satisfied” with the PM’s explanation that he cannot watch his beloved Arsenal in the stands for security reasons so he now sits in corporate seats.
She defended Mr Starmer and said he has “lived entirely by the rules” after it was reported he received £107,145 in ticket and gifts, benefits and hospitality since becoming Labour Party leader. But asked if she was concerned how it looks at a time when the government was scrapping the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, she said: “Of course, I always worry about how everything looks.”
She continued: “Those two things are completely separate things and had he never been to watch the Arsenal there would still be a £22billion black hole that had to be paid for.
“But of course I worry about how things look and I want people to feel like the Government is having to make some very, very difficult decisions but fundamentally is working to try to make things better. All I can say is I’m absolutely knackered trying to make things better.”
Mr Starmer has received more lavish gifts and hospitality than any other MP since December 2019. It includes thousands on football tickets, including £6,000 on tickets for Arsenal matches, glasses and clothes, and £4,000 on Taylor Swift tickets during the General Election campaign.
Defending his decision to accept corporate hospitality, the PM on Thursday said he cannot go in the stands at Arsenal for security reasons. Mr Starmer, who has been an Arsenal season ticket holder for years, added: “The club have made arrangements for me to watch from elsewhere, it’s as simple as that.”
